In many industries, condition compliance is important to ensure that goods offered for sale are suitable to sell. One common example is cold chain compliance for refrigerated goods. If refrigerated goods are not maintained at an appropriate temperature, the refrigerated goods may spoil or become unsafe for consumption, making them unsuitable for sale. Just as refrigerated goods require certain temperature requirements, other products may require a variety of other condition (e.g., humidity or moisture, light exposure, etc.) requirements. Typically, vehicles on which goods are transported include sensors that monitor condition compliance. However, because these sensors are on the vehicle, they may not be capable of monitoring condition compliance when the goods are outside the vehicle. For example, the cargo area of a truck may remain at an acceptable temperature, but the refrigerated goods may sit outside on a loading dock during loading and unloading. If the ambient temperature is high and it is a sunny day, the temperature of the refrigerated goods may exceed an acceptable level. Because the sensors are located in the cargo area of the vehicle and the cargo area remains at an acceptable temperature, the sensors in the vehicle may not accurately reflect the temperature of the refrigerated goods. Consequently, a need exists for a mechanism to better monitor the condition, such as the temperature, of goods.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.